Calefax & Mohammad Motamedi

Song of the Reed

In Song of the Reed, reed quintet Calefax meets Iranian singer Mohammad Motamedi and percussionist Pouriya Jaberi. Together, the musicians perform a varied programme in which they combine traditional Iranian songs with instrumental classical music.

Song of the Reed is about longing for home. The famous poem of the same name by the 13th-century mystic poet Rumi describes the pain of those who are cut off from their home, like a reed cut from its reed bed. Century-old Persian poetry is an inexhaustible source for Iranian songs, which Motamedi provides embellishes with graceful melodies. As befits Calefax, different musical genres are wonderfully interwoven during this concert. Works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy and Duke Ellington form a musical canvas on which Iranian melodies miraculously catch the light.

Mohammad Motamedi and Pouriya Jaberi

Mohammad Motamedi is one of Iran’s most famous traditional singers. He also plays the ney, a traditional Arabic flute. Besides concerts in his country of birth, Motamedi also sang at Carnegie Hall in New York, Theatre de la ville in Paris and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam, among others.

Pouriya Jaberi is a Netherlands-based Iranian percussionist. He specialises in various traditional Iranian percussion instruments such as the daf and tanboor. In recent years, he has played at festivals in Armenia, Australia, Norway, Turkey and England and more.

Calefax

Calefax is a close-knit formation of five reed players who share a great passion for chamber music. For over 35 years, they have travelled the world with innovative and imaginative concert programmes, often with arrangements and new compositions written especially for them. They also frequently collaborate with musicians and artists from other disciplines. Calefax is the ‘house ensemble’ of the Aalmarktzaal and has had a close relationship with the Leiden audience for years, partly due to their spontaneous stage presence.

Hear Here!

Because we want to give you the opportunity to hear as much classical music as possible. You can buy concerts in bulk with a nice discount! When you buy at least four “Hoor bij ons” aka “Hear Here” concerts, you receive € 5 discount on these concerts and for all future concerts the entire season. This discount is connected to your e-mailadres. In order for this to work your first purchase must be the serie via this link.